Tea Bag Tube

ABSTRACT

The commonly used tea bags, such as the square and pyramid designs made from filter paper, offer ease of brewing a drink by steeping the tea bag into a liquid, most notably water. However, these tea bags are not feasible for smaller drinking bottles. In addition, commonly used tea bags have to be steeped for long periods of time, making it not ideal in hurried situations. The shape and size of the tea bag tube make it ideal to fit inside any sized drinking container, such as smaller water bottles. Due to the tea bag tube&#39;s disposable nature, as being a filter bag, this invention can easily be pulled out of the drinking bottle and not leave a mess, allowing for an on-the-go format and reuse of smaller water bottles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The commonly used tea bags, such as the square and pyramid designs made from filter paper, offer ease of brewing a drink by steeping the tea bag into a liquid, most notably water. However, these tea bags are not feasible for smaller drinking bottles. The opening on these types of drinking bottles are too small for the tea bags to pass through comfortably. While it is possible to stuff a tea bag into the bottle, there is a high probability the bag will rip, spilling its contents into the liquid and rending the mix undrinkable. Even if the tea bag does not rip, there will be no feasible way of getting it out of the drinking bottle, therefore not allowing the bottle to be reused.

There are many ways to steep tea, but only a few have utilized a more slender design than the bulky tea bag. One such design was U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,388, titled “Tea Packet,” and was filed on Oct. 10, 1967. This patent was a tube made of crepe paper that fit inside a container, but when the attached string was pulled, the crepe paper tube curled up into a ring, which in a smaller drinking bottle would render the tea ring too bulky to get out of the container. The purpose of this design was to get air out of the crepe paper tube and allow for more infusion to occur, thus the reasoning for the formation of a ring. But this still left the bulky design which would not fit back through the opening on a smaller drinking bottle.

Another approach dealt with creating a hard porous shell with a tube-like structure that would hold disposable filter paper inside. This was patent 20160007795, titled, “Mini Coffee Tube as a Container, a Filter, and a Stirring Tool,” and was filed on Jan. 14, 2016. The tube could be filled with tea, coffee, etc. and was steeped in a liquid. While this device would allow the drinking container to be re-used, the tube itself could not be pre-packaged and had to be refilled after every use. For consumers that use multiple tea bags or cups of coffee in a day, cleaning out the tube-like structure after every use could be very inconvenient.

There are been other contraptions put on the market, but none with the purpose and design of a disposable tube made from filter paper that would fit into smaller drinking containers. The bulky tea bags were designed for larger containers, such as tea pots and bottles with bigger lid openings. This drives the consumer market with the idea that tea is not instant, and the consumer has to wait for it to be made.

Powdered and instant teas have tried to fill the gap for a fast disposable tea substitute in which the drinking container can be reused. However, while this does allow for on-the-go activities, the taste of these tea derivatives does not rival the taste of freshly brewed tea leaves, which are found predominately in the bulky tea bags. There is a gap in quality in the powder and instant teas, and there is nothing on the market to fill this gap of authentic tea taste with an on-the-go format.

In conclusion, as far as I am aware, no filter bag has been made into a tube that can be pre-filled with tea leaves and fits inside of smaller drinking bottles to allow for multiple use of a drinking bottle in a timely manner, thus making it ideal for situations on-the-go. The tea bag tube makes these requirements possible, and may be used in the beverage industry or with any kind of delivery needed for vitamins, minerals, or any kind or consumable that needs to be diffused into a smaller container, in a timely manner.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a slender tube-shaped bag made of any kind of filter paper used in conjunction with coffee, tea, or any other filter paper-like product used to put consumable product in. The shape and size of the tea bag tube make it ideal to fit inside any sized drinking container, such as smaller water bottles. Due to the tea bag tube's disposable nature, as being a filter bag, this design can easily be pulled out of the drinking bottle and not leave a mess, allowing for an on-the-go format and reuse of smaller water bottles. The tea bag tube design may be strong enough that you can shake the bottle containing the liquid with the tea bag tube inside it, allowing for more diffusion of material into the liquid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. One possible size of filter paper that can be folded over down the center of paper.

FIG. 2. One side and end of the tea tube bag sealed.

FIG. 3. Tea bag tube filled with contents.

FIG. 4. Sealing remaining open side to encapsulate contents.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 6260932 entitled Tea Bag Tube, filed Dec. 21, 2017, the teachings of which are applied to this patent by reference.

This invention is a slender tube-shaped bag made of any kind of filter paper used in conjunction with coffee, tea, or any other filter paper-like product used to put consumable product in. The shape and size of the tea bag tube make it ideal to fit inside any sized drinking container, such as smaller water bottles. Due to the tea bag tube's disposable nature, as being a filter bag, this invention can easily be pulled out of the drinking bottle and not leave a mess, allowing for an on-the-go format and reuse of smaller water bottles. The dimensions of the tea bag tube can vary in accordance with what measurements are needed to fit any shape container, and the measurements in the drawings are an example of such lengths/widths, along with a possible approach to create the tea bag tube. Once the material is poured into the tube, and it is sealed on both sides, a string can be attached to the tea tube bag, but that is optional. The tea bag tube design may be strong enough that you can shake the bottle containing the liquid with the tea bag tube inside it, allowing for more diffusion of material into the liquid. One of the tea bag tube ends can fold over the opening of the water bottle and may be held in place by the bottle cap if desired.

A possible way to make the tea bag tube is seen in FIGS. 1-4. The filter paper is cut to an appropriate length and is rolled over on itself (FIG. 1), and the longitudinal line where the sides meet is fused together, whether by sewing, staples, heat sealed, or any other means of closure (FIG. 2). One end of the tube is sealed in the same manner (FIG. 2). Through the open end on the other side of the tea bag tube, tea, coffee, crushed fruit, or any other consumable product that needs to be diffused in a liquid, will be poured into the tea bag tube (FIG. 3). Once it is filled, the opening will be sealed in a like manner as to the previous sealings or combination sealing done to the tea bag tube (FIG. 4). 

We claim:
 1. A tea bag tube that is a slender tube shaped bag made of any kind of filter paper used in conjunction with coffee, tea, or any other filter paper-like product, may be used to put consumable product in.
 2. The dimensions of the tea bag tube, as defined in claim 1, can vary in accordance with what measurements are needed to fit any shape container, and the measurements in the drawings are an example of such lengths/widths.
 3. The approach to making the tea bag tube, as defined in claim 1, can vary in accordance with different techniques, machinery, etc.
 4. The edges of the tea bag tube, as defined in claim 1, are fused together, whether by sewing, staples, heat sealed, or any other means of closure.
 5. A string may be attached to the tea tube bag, as defined in claim
 1. 6. One of the tea bag tube (as defined in claim 1) ends may fold over the opening of the water bottle and be held in place by the cap if desired. Other modifications can be made according to what is needed. 